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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26967688">don't go baking my heart.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/h2owo/pseuds/h2owo'>h2owo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>i believe in hinata harem supremacy [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Baker!Hinata, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Gift Giving, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pastries, Pining, Sous Chef!Sakusa, and they were neighbors, oh my god they were neighbors, they're so cute i wanna cry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:28:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,188</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26967688</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/h2owo/pseuds/h2owo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sous chef Sakusa gets informed of a new neighbor, falls in hate with him, then proceeds to do an uno reverse card on himself.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hinata Shouyou/Sakusa Kiyoomi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>i believe in hinata harem supremacy [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1627243</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>440</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>don't go baking my heart.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>me: *tries to convince myself that my otp is oihina*<br/>also me: *proceeds to write another omihina*</p><p>hehe, this one's been in my drafts for a while, but i finally found the time and determination to finish it! i just love the idea of hinata being a baker and sakusa being a chef, and i hope you can share the same sentiments uwu i hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sakusa got news that a new neighbor was moving in next door to him. It's been a couple of months since the last person moved out of the apartment next to him, and while he's no longer cold and distant to his current neighbors, having a new, completely unknown person move in might just reset his behavior. Even so, the landlord seemed to expect more from him (or maybe she was just straight up teasing him) because she'd invited Sakusa to her office with a bright smile and an equally bright bag of convenient store candies to announce the news. "<em>You'll have a new neighbor</em>," she said. "<em>It'll be exciting</em>," she said. Right.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Despite having the socializing skills of a rock, Sakusa, over the course of a year and a half, actually grew to almost like his neighbors. That was because usually, his neighbors were tolerable- there was a little old lady who constantly cooed over how handsome he was, a sweet family of three who knew to keep their distance, and a group of college students who never really left the apartment to begin with. They knew him and he knew them. They shared little 'hello's and 'goodbye's when passing by. And most importantly, they never made enough noise to wake Sakusa up at damn near three AM.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
But thanks to the new neighbor, Sakusa was now wide awake, his eyes boring holes into the thin wall that stood between him and the new neighbor. Loud footsteps practically shook the apartment, and he thinks he hears a pathetic sounding wail. <em>It's not that bad yet</em>, he tries to convince himself as he closes his eyes and turns on his side, hugging a big spatula plushie to his chest in hopes of catching at least some sleep before his early seven AM shift at the restaurant. He tries to recall the dumb meditation videos his friend (Bokuto would be elated to hear he received this title) showed him once, using the breathing techniques to block out the noise. It works for maybe, a minute or so, before a loud crash interrupts Sakusa, who flinches at the sound.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"Is no one else fucking hearing this," he hisses to his other wall, the quiet wall. It doesn't respond, which is nice, and he could only hope that his neighbor soon follows suit. But Sakusa is a very unlucky man, so he hears yet another crash within the next minute and decides that he's had enough.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
None of his other neighbors have been this noisy, much less on their first day here! And at nearly three in the morning! Extremely tired, but also extremely agitated, Sakusa hastily gets up out of bed and puts a hoodie over his cat-patterned pajama shirt to go <em>greet </em>this new neighbor of his.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
The hallway is quiet when Sakusa steps out, which confuses him so, so much because <em>how</em>?? Now, he might be a light sleeper, but he was more than sure that the sound coming from that apartment was nearly equivalent to the noise made at his workplace during lunch rush. And yet- no other neighbors are gathered outside the door in which the noise was originating from. Sakusa practically stomps to the door with a loud huff, glaring at the nameplate to see just who he was going to yell at. The plate reads <em>Hinata</em>; Sakusa grumbles it a couple of times as practice for the real thing.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Then, with all the patience he had remaining (not much), Sakusa furiously knocks at the door, his knuckles stinging at the impact. The door opens just as he starts to tap his foot against the ground, and immediately, his tired face contorts into one of disapproval and frustration as he looks into Hinata's eyes- wait.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
There isn't anyone. He doesn't see anyone- <em>then who the fuck opened the door</em>- and his eyebrows furrow as he turns his head to find this <em>Hinata</em>. But then he hears the faintest sniffle, which brings his gaze downwards.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
He first registers bright, teary, doe eyes. Then a button nose, then pouty lips, then he notices the bright orange hair and sun-kissed skin. And then.. and then he sees the mess beyond the door, where a couple of eggs lay broken on the floor and a few slices of burnt toast have been put on the counter, the toaster oven still open.</p><p> </p><p><br/>
"Wha- oh, uh, Hinata-san?" Sakusa trails off, inexplicably confused that the noise was coming from a boy, his toaster and a carton of eggs. He clears his throat and straightens up when he nearly forgets what he wants to say, and as he looks (down) at his neighbor, he internally wonders for a moment if he looked too intimidating. "It's nearly three in the morning, and I have work in a couple of hours. Would you mind quieting down?"<br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>"I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb your rest!" He hears Hinata say, the redhead in front of him bowing at a ninety degree angle.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
To be very honest, Sakusa had a list of expletives he wanted to use instead of this civilized response, but for some reason, he found himself weak to glossy, star-filled eyes and a sweet voice. (Which is surprising, because he's never afraid to chew out his employees at work, pre, mid or post tears). Finding the situation already too awkward to handle, he steps back, preparing to leave.</p><p> </p><p>“..Yeah, uh.. just please be mindful in the future—"</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"Yes, I will, I'm extremely sorry! I finally got settled in a few hours ago and decided to bake some cookies to pass out to everyone on this floor tomorrow- ah, this morning! But while getting out the ingredients, I got hungry so I tried to make toast- but I forgot to keep an eye on the toaster so they <em>burned</em>," Sakusa feels his heart twinge at the little hiccup Hinata lets out, "and then- and then when I tried to turn and grab a bag to toss the toast in, I tripped over the stand mixer’s wire and- and I knocked over the carton of eggs when I fell! And then-"</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"H-Hinata-san, I think I get it," Sakusa says, putting a hand up to stop the redhead's rambling. He absolutely doesn't feel anything when Hinata sniffles and wipes at his eyes with tiny, clenched fists. Nor does he feel anything when Hinata mumbles the smallest 'sorry' under his breath, warm brown eyes cast downwards.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"..Are you alright?" he decides to ask after a short, awkward silence, to which Hinata nods. Alright then, this should be enough. Hinata already said he'd be quiet now that the whole fiasco was done with, already said he'd just clean up and go to sleep. So why Sakusa was still standing at his door was anybody's guess. And even more so when the taller blurts, "I have leftovers, do you want any?"</p><p><br/>
<br/>
The smile Hinata shows in response is blinding.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Sakusa goes back to his own apartment momentarily to grab the stir-fry he made for dinner earlier today and reheat it before coming back to Hinata's. He knocks the door gently this time, and when Hinata opens the door, he tries to hand the plate over before he could feel any weirder about himself. It’s clear his neighbor has his priorities set straight, if the way his bright eyes stayed glued to the plate was any indication- but that wasn’t a complaint because that just meant no awkward eye contact.</p><p> </p><p>“I hope you’re not allergic to anything..”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not! But thank you for asking, and thank you for the food!”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata gives another bow before accepting the plate, the scene oddly looking more like a subordinate receiving work from a superior than a <em>friendly </em>interaction between neighbors. Without closing the door, Hinata runs back into his still messy kitchen to reheat the food, and only when he’s got the food in the microwave does he turn to wave a hand at Sakusa as invitation to come in.</p><p> </p><p>Endearing as it may be that Hinata was such a readily affectionate and welcoming person, Sakusa couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit worried for the man. Was this how he treated everybody upon first meetings? But with the door more open than it was earlier, Sakusa caught a glimpse of the numerous empty cans of beer littered around his floor, which was both a nice confirmation (that his neighbor was indeed, very drunk) and reassuring to an extent (to know that this was probably not his usual behavior). Still, the state of his apartment was appalling, and when Sakusa hears Hinata speak up again, he looks up at the other with a little bit more of a frown.</p><p> </p><p>“What are you doin’, Sakusa-san? You should come in!”</p><p> </p><p>“I.. uh, I can’t, I have work soon, so I should get rest-“ Sakusa pauses for a second when he looks in to see the ginger, in his nearly empty kitchen and at his nearly empty kitchen table, pouting.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, Hinata-san, maybe next time?”  he lies, mainly because he doesn’t think he could get out of this situation otherwise, and he speaks from experience. Working at a restaurant with other self-deprecative 20-something year olds meant a lot of unnecessary drinking parties as well as a ton of empty promises in order to get out of said drinking parties at a semi-reasonable time. At this point, he’s made promises to get butt tattoos, go Pokemon Go hunting, find Nemo in real life, and to name his child after his co-worker all through the simple phrase of “next time”. Maybe it’s a bit cruel to leave his drunk co-workers by themselves, but they’re all still alive now, so there’s no problem (yet), is there?</p><p> </p><p>There isn’t a response yet from the other, which prompts Sakusa to give another quick glance, only to see Hinata squinting at him, pout still intact. It might’ve been intimidating if he wasn’t curled up in his chair and in his pajamas, but in this case, it only makes Sakusa let out a tiny huff of a chuckle. Quite an achievement for a new neighbor, honestly.</p><p> </p><p>“Um, I guess I’ll see you then-“</p><p> </p><p>“Wait!”</p><p> </p><p>There’s a loud, unpleasant squeak when Hinata abruptly gets out of his chair, and Sakusa watches in mild annoyance as the blob of orange swiftly moves around in his kitchen before walking up to Sakusa, almost as if trying to size him up. The height difference is even more obvious up close, Sakusa notes, with how his neck ached a little when tilting his head down. Then, just before Sakusa could muster up anything to say (seriously, what could he say?), Hinata lifts up both hands, one with just his pinky outstretched and the other holding a small bag of cookies.</p><p> </p><p>“Pinky promise, please!”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh-“</p><p> </p><p>“Then, if you don’t actually come over next time I ask, I have something to use against you!”</p><p> </p><p>Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Sakusa quickly looks around as if expecting there to be some camera he could lifelessly stare into, but when he finds that there isn’t, he simply sighs in defeat and reluctantly links his pinky with Hinata’s. Unsurprisingly, his hand is much larger in comparison, and also unsurprisingly, Hinata’s hand is just as warm as he expected it to be.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, there, Hinata-san.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay! And here, the cookies! These were test ones, but I think they taste good! And hopefully, I can give you the real good ones in the morning!”</p><p> </p><p>It takes just a bit of coaxing for Sakusa to manage to escape, and he retreats before he can see Hinata’s eyes well up with tears again. Was that how he usually reacted to guests excusing themselves to go home? Well, considering the multitude of empty cans also scattered across Hinata’s carpeted and wooden floors (Sakusa had to refrain from physically recoiling at the sight), something tells Sakusa that his neighbor might’ve been the tiniest bit drunk. But not that that was his problem anymore- nor was it really his problem to begin with.</p><p> </p><p>Safe and sound in the confines of his apartment, Sakusa tucks himself back into bed with his beloved spatula plushie, and as he drifted off to sleep, he catches himself thinking, just for a moment, that Hinata might be an interesting neighbor to have.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
--</p><p><br/>
The next morning comes too early, much too early for Sakusa’s liking. Sure, he anticipated being tired, but then again, he hasn’t felt the dread of being sleep-deprived like this in a while. That, plus the fact that there was construction going on right outside his apartment complex at ass o’clock in the morning meant that Sakusa was not very happy.</p><p> </p><p>He supposes a big part of it was because of that new neighbor of his, but with their brief interaction last night, he was hoping that it wouldn’t happen again. Sakusa steps out of his apartment with the deepest scowl to date, and fumbles when his keys catch in his pocket, another miniscule thing to add to his already growing list of things that have agitated him this morning. He hears another distant jingle of keys, and when he looks over, he sees Hinata all bright-eyed and jumpy right next door.</p><p> </p><p><br/>
"Oh! Sakusa-san! Hello!" Hinata greets, a completely different image from what the raven-haired saw last night. The shorter still bows politely, somehow undisturbed by the neither the loud sounds of construction nor the cold morning air as he takes out a bag of sweets. Sakusa's lips twitch at the sight, unsure if he wants to scowl or smile at it.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
It's a clear bag, covered in pastel orange and yellow stripes and tiny ducks. Tied with curly green ribbon, it looked like something straight out of a candy shop. Sakusa's eyes immediately close in on the tiny hand that stretches out to offer the bag to him.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"This is for you, Sakusa-san! Thank you for giving me your leftovers last night, and for not screaming at me!"</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Sakusa blinks, then warily grabs the bag with a small, "thanks".</p><p> </p><p>Unfazed, Hinata continues.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"I'm also sorry for showing you such a childish side of me- I was.. a bit drunk, and so I was a bit sensitive to everything happening." Sakusa raises a brow at that, which makes Hinata flush a bright pink and avoid eye contact. "..okay, maybe I was a lot sensitive," he corrects.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"It's fine. Thank you for the sweets, but please do excuse me, I need to head to work."</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Hinata sputters a frantic response when Sakusa waves and turns to leave, but the taller only hears the last part, the <em>Get to work safe! </em>part.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Sakusa thinks about the early encounter when he opens the bag of treats during his lunch break, giving it a little sniff before he takes a small, tentative bite out of a cookie. They taste just as sweet as they look.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"You bake now, Omi?"</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"Fuck off, Miya."</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Turning around in his seat, Sakusa clicks his tongue and narrows his eyes at his co-worker. Miya Atsumu, one of the Miya’s at this restaurant- the less likeable one, as many would say.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"They look so pretty and proper, 'ya sure you didn't receive some love confession?"</p><p><br/>
<br/>
The cookies really are neat, Sakusa notes. Trimmed like lace at the edges, perfectly baked, giving a nice snap but not at all dry, and with flowers and herbs prettily pressed into them, they really were confession material. But at his age (he’s only twenty-four this year and yet he chooses to live and act as a ninety year old), no one confessed with sweets and letters anymore. Without all that free time, it’s doubtful that a proper confession would even be given between adults these days, that portion of a developing relationship now considered optional. So before he pops another cookie into his mouth, he turns to Miya with a scowl.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"Do we look like high schoolers to you?"</p><p><br/>
The rest of his shift goes by well, Sakusa managing to ease away from his fatigue with his decently-sized list of tasks for the day. Even after years and years of experience, the thrill of being in a busy kitchen never went away, and that, along with Sakusa’s undying passion for yelling at other people to do work was why he so easily became immersed with his job. That is, until he clocks out, with his clothes smelling of oil and his feet throbbing.</p><p> </p><p>He lifts a hand to cover his mouth as he lets out a loud yawn, the miniscule movement adding on to his shoulder’s dull aching. None of the fatigue is new to Sakusa, of course, but that didn’t mean it was any easier to deal with. With his entire body feeling like one big sandbag, it took quite a bit of effort to get himself up the two flights of stairs up to his apartment, and like all the other times he comes home tired, he curses the landlord for not investing in an elevator to make everyone’s lives a little easier.</p><p> </p><p>Sakusa sticks his hands into his pocket to fish out his keys once he’s nearly at his door, and just the sight of the familiar nameplate has him visibly relaxing. <em>Almost there, </em>he reminds himself, sounding more like a survival show than just someone coming home from work. Grabbing ahold of his keys, he gives a tug, then another, grumbling when he finds his keys catching onto some loose thread on the inside of his pocket.</p><p> </p><p>“Fuckin’ again?”</p><p> </p><p>Sleepily glaring down at his partially visible, useless bundle of keys, Sakusa fails to hear the door next to his unlock and open.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"Sakusa-san!"</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Tired, the chef blearily blinks a couple of times as he turns his head to see Hinata's head peek out from his open door. The redhead has a streak of what seems to be flour across his forehead and cheek, a bright smile etched across his face when he steps out to greet Sakusa.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"I hope you enjoyed the cookies!"</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Sakusa mindlessly nods, each blink becoming slower and slower with his growing fatigue.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"..I did. Thank you."</p><p><br/>
<br/>
There's a short pause. Sakusa thinks he sees Hinata's face contorting into something like concern, and in the next minute, the redhead was by his side, gently shaking his shoulder. In any other case, it’d be safe to assume that Sakusa would’ve (politely) brushed Hinata’s hand off, but as of right now? He was a bit too tired to react at all to the contact.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"Sakusa-san?"</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"Mmh?"</p><p><br/>
<br/>
He fails to see how the tips of Hinata's ears were a bright red.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"C'mon, you should get inside and catch some sleep. 'M sorry for bothering you," he says, giving the other's shoulder another gentle shake.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Lifting up the hand that held his keys, Sakusa fumbles with them for a moment, angrily squinting his eyes at the jingling mess as if that would get rid of his sleepiness. Or at least effortlessly open the door. He feels Hinata's warmth surrounding him the entire time as he opens his door- which honestly doesn't help because it was too warm, too comforting. Sakusa might've fallen asleep on Hinata if not for the countless nights he's spent in crowded, humid kitchens to build his endurance.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"There you go," Hinata chuckles when the door finally opens, a firm hand still on the other man's back.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"You.. you got somethin' here."</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Sakusa reaches out a hand, but retracts it before he touches Hinata's face, resorting to pointing at his own forehead and cheek. The other seems to burn up at the almost-contact, and blurts out a thank you and an apology in one breath as Sakusa retreats back into his apartment. He closes the door before he can register just how red Hinata is.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Haphazardly tossing off his jacket and bag, he drags his feet all the way to his bedroom. And without changing clothes, he plops onto the mattress, heaving a sigh in relief at how comfortable he was. It's when he melts into his sheets that he recognizes the familiar dull aching in his shoulders and feet, to which Sakusa simply rolls his shoulders a couple of times and stretches his legs out with a low grunt. It’s only a little past eight, but Sakusa was too tired to get up for anything nor anyone at this point, so he figures getting some extra sleep wouldn’t hurt. Fully tucked in, he falls asleep easily and happily dreams of an alternative universe where he could separate a thousand egg whites and yolks in a matter of seconds.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
--</p><p><br/>
<br/>
His shift the next day starts later in the morning, and when he opens the door to leave, he jumps at the small bag that slides off the door handle on the other side. It's another clear goodie bag, this time decorated with different shades of blue stripes, tiny white clouds and a pretty, gold ribbon.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
There's a handwritten note on it this time, Sakusa realizes, when he picks up the bag and sees a little folded square of paper.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<em>Good morning, Sakusa-san!<br/>
<br/>
I'm sorry about yesterday &gt;.&lt; I managed to bother you again! ;;<br/>
<br/>
I was going to ask if you wanted to help me taste test some of the new recipes I'm developing right now, but you looked so tired! So I felt bad ))))):<br/>
<br/>
But I hope you're still okay with helping me taste test! I put three different kinds of cookies in this bag, and I hope you can give me feedback on what's good and what's not!<br/>
<br/>
• The checkered cookies are part vanilla shortbread flavored with a blend of citrus peels and part orange chocolate<br/>
• The pink cookies are flavored with rosewater and jasmine and have some pressed edible rose and jasmine petals on top (I gave you some of these yesterday!)<br/>
• And the light green and white cookies are matcha cookies with white chocolate and macadamia nuts<br/>
<br/>
Thank you in advance for your help!</em>
</p><p><em>(Also, pls let me know if you have any allergies I should know of.. just in case.. for next time)</em><em></em><br/>
<br/>
Hinata Shou(òwó)</p><p> </p><p>Sakusa blinked at the note once, then twice, just to confirm that it was really there. It wasn’t that he was opposed to giving some constructive criticism, but rather, he was skeptical as to why Hinata wanted <em>his </em>criticism. And why he needed criticism in the first place. They’ve just met yesterday, and Sakusa has yet to tell his neighbor about his occupation, meaning Sakusa should be one of the last people Hinata asks for help from. But then again, free food is free food, and the cookies yesterday were pretty good, so he carefully tucks the goodie bag into his tote before heading to work.</p><p> </p><p>He eats the cookies in his office this time around, mainly because he was unsure of how his co-workers might react upon seeing this new goodie bag he received. And maybe part of it was because he wanted the sweets to himself, but he’ll never own up and admit to having a sweet tooth. There’s a little journal and pen next to the bag of cookies, a little set-up that helps Sakusa get into his food critic mindset. It might be a little ridiculous to have such a routine, but Sakusa never wants to half-ass any of his criticism, and Hinata wasn’t going to be an exception.</p><p> </p><p>It takes a little over fifteen minutes for Sakusa to finish writing down his critiques, which is fifteen minutes gone from his lunch break, but at least he got some sweets. There aren’t any major unsatisfied comments, surprisingly, and his comments range from a slight lack of consistent sizing and suggestions to modify certain ingredients used.</p><p> </p><p>And at the bottom, he writes <em>I have no allergies, </em>followed by a badly drawn smiley-face. He would’ve omitted the smiley-face in any other situation, he just had the tiniest hunch that Hinata would be pouty to some extent at the lack of hand-written emoticons. But this is just a one time thing, he wouldn’t be drawing any more smiley faces in the near future, for sure.</p><p> </p><p>Overall, this wasn’t at all a bad taste testing, considering the critic was Sakusa. Perhaps it was because he wasn’t a baker himself that he couldn’t give more specific criticism- or maybe Hinata was just a really dedicated and experienced hobbyist baker, meaning there’d be very little space left for improvement. Whatever, Sakusa wasn’t too concerned about it either way.</p><p> </p><p>The empty goodie bag is tossed into the trash bin, but his little sheet of criticism gets neatly folded and placed inside the front pocket of his jacket, and the entire way home, he keeps a hand in said pocket so he doesn’t forget to give it to Hinata. When he knocks, the redhead opens the door with the explosive enthusiasm when he knocks, and he has similarly placed streaks of flour on his face, just with an extra one on the tip of his nose this time.</p><p> </p><p>“Sakusa-san! Hello!”</p><p> </p><p>The heat that escapes from Hinata’s apartment immediately envelopes Sakusa along with the faint scent of vanilla and something bright and fruity. The taller finds himself wanting to lean in to catch sight of what Hinata was baking. But he refrains, and after giving a short greeting in return, he hands the now warm and slightly curled folded piece of paper to Hinata, to which his neighbor gives him a bright smile in return.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks so much, Sakusa-san! I didn’t expect this fast of a response, but this is great!”</p><p> </p><p>Nodding, Sakusa clears his throat before responding.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s no problem. Any particular reason why you asked for criticism?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata blinks as if the answer to that question was an obvious one, and he blinks a few more times before a look of understanding melts across his features. He gives another smile, but with the addition of a tiny nose scrunch this time, which has Sakusa involuntarily comparing the smaller to a bunny.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, I thought the landlord already told you, so I wasn’t sure why you were asking that either, my bad!”</p><p> </p><p>He reaches out with a small hand to point at an equally small, pastel-colored building across the street.</p><p> </p><p>“I started running the bakery across the street a few weeks ago- that’s why I moved in here, so I could be close to my workplace! Since it’s still new, there are tons of recipes still being developed, so I wanted to get some help in knowing where and how to improve. Ah, also, the landlord told me you work at that restaurant by the beach, so I got really excited knowing that I could get some professional help. I hope that’s not a bother,” Hinata explained, offering a more reserved grin this time, as if Sakusa would react badly to the news.</p><p> </p><p>A few things run through Sakusa’s mind at the news: firstly, he should’ve expected that Hinata was a professional baker with how well baked all his treats were. Second, he felt a bit cheated that the landlord tattled about him to Hinata but not the other way around. And third, even so, he felt a tiny, tiny bit of pride at the fact that Hinata sought him out for <em>professional</em> insight, despite him being a chef and not a baker. It takes a bit of time for these things to filter out of Sakusa’s head, and by the time he finishes thinking to himself, Hinata’s already looking a bit concerned.</p><p> </p><p>“Sakusa-san?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, uh. I’m glad I could help.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, thanks so much again! I’m happy you’re alright with helping me! And if I can ever help you in return, please let me know!”</p><p> </p><p>Now, Sakusa might be stupid at times, but by no means was he ever blind. And right now, him processing Hinata’s unfairly bright expression was proof of that. With scrunched up, rosy cheeks and that little streak of flour still on the tip of his nose, Hinata was the embodiment of what it felt like to want to squeeze the living daylights out of something simply because of the overwhelming amount of <em>cute. </em>Not wanting to actually pinch Hinata’s cheek nor wanting to experience such feelings, Sakusa takes a small step back.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright. I’ll, uh, I’ll see you around then?”</p><p> </p><p>Sakusa offers a small wave before turning to leave, a hint of a smile left on his lips at the thought of having a neighbor with a similar occupation and passion. He wasn’t sure where this would go, especially since he wasn’t really one to open up and <em>talk</em> to people, but at the very least, he felt some sense of satisfaction that in the case he does want to bust down and ramble about flashy ways of plating food or the versatility of pasta, there might just be someone willing to listen.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Sakusa doesn’t receive another goodie bag until the end of the following week, which despite taking a while, didn’t affect his anticipation and excitement to critique it. Hinata gave the medium-sized pink bag to Sakusa late in the afternoon, when the sous chef was just lounging on his couch, mindlessly surfing through Netflix’s catalogue of shows to watch. Truly a good time to give him such a task, too, since he had loads of time on his hands and zero shows he genuinely wanted to start or continue watching.</p><p> </p><p>There are three saran-wrapped plates in the bag this time, each plate with three small slices of what looked like cheesecake and on a separately wrapped plate sat six tiny containers.</p><p> </p><p><em>“I’m pretty solid on the cheesecake recipe. It’s just the compotes that I’m a bit stuck on,” </em>he recalls Hinata explaining. “<em>I was wondering if you could taste them and let me know which ones are your favorites and if any sort of blend of compotes might taste better.”</em></p><p> </p><p>Hinata left soon after handing the bag over to continue prepping for a wedding order in a few days, leaving Sakusa with his second mission of taste-testing Hinata’s handmade treats.</p><p> </p><p>Like last time, Sakusa had his set-up, only now, it was a small notepad and a nearly dried out pen on his kitchen table rather than his slightly fancier set-up in his work office. But it works just the same in getting Sakusa’s work mindset running. And since learning that Hinata was a professional baker, it only motivated him even more to give the best and most accurate criticism he could (and perhaps the other thing that motivated him was the starlit grin he’s seen Hinata give the past few times they’ve interacted).</p><p> </p><p>He starts off tasting just the compotes, noting to himself the different consistencies and the respective tastes. He scribbles down little descriptions of the differences in each of them- the drastic differences between the bright, citrusy compotes and the syrupy, floral compotes, the distinct aftertastes and how they might clash with one another, and even details about how visually appealing each compote’s color and consistency is against the off-white, blank canvas of the cheesecake itself.</p><p> </p><p>Rereading some of his comments, there are a couple that sound a bit too poetic to be considered criticism for some cheesecake, and he contemplates crossing those few out. Would Hinata feel weirded out by his descriptions? Would he find it cringey? Sakusa hovered his pen over the notepad, his mind running in circles for a bit until he finally gave up and let it be. Thinking back, Hinata doesn’t seem like the type of person to judge him for this type of thing- he sought Sakusa out for his opinion, after all. So hopefully, this was nothing to worry over.</p><p> </p><p>After cleaning up the plates and containers, Sakusa neatly put them back into the pink bag Hinata gave him along with his folded piece of critiques. The ginger was probably still at work considering how the lights were completely off and the curtains were drawn, so Sakusa wraps the bag’s handles around the doorknob, hovering his hands around the bag as he let it go in case it falls. And when it doesn’t, he hurries back to his own apartment, partially content that he got to eat so many sweets and partially still terrified about his written rambles about cheesecake.</p><p> </p><p>The following day, there isn’t a jumpy Hinata there to greet him when Sakusa leaves for work in the afternoon, but there is a folded piece of paper taped to the other side of his door. Sakusa makes the mistake of opening it up right then and there because the contents of the letter leave a smile on his face, albeit a small one. And of course, one of the usually closed-in college students had to conveniently walk by and witness his smile, to which Sakusa responded by quickly pursing his lips and shoving the letter in his bag so he could leave for work faster (and reread the letter while in his office during his lunch break).</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Sakusa-sannnnn ;;</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I never thought I would ever read such beautiful words about cheesecake, much less MY cheesecake!!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You have such a way of describing things, it’s so amazing! ;; I reread your critiques, like, ten times in one sitting!! I loved reading every bit of it! I might just hang it on my fridge! Or I could even get it framed!!!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Thank you so much for your help and for all the feedback, I think I know which compotes I want to keep separate and which ones I want to try mixing! (By the way, Sakusa-san, how do you know so many colors?! Were you an art student in the past?! I had to google almost all the colors bc I didn’t know them ;; but that just makes you even more amazing!!)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I hope you can continue to help and support me with developing my recipes! I can never properly formulate my thoughts, but reading through your writing always helps me a lot!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Thank you again!! I’ll be sure to drop by with more sweets soon!!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hinata Shouyou (uwu)</em>
</p><p> </p><p>After rereading the note, Sakusa puts it aside to move on with his lunch. Towards the end of his break, Sakusa ends up clearing most of his bulletin board. And also towards the end of his break, Sakusa has a new note neatly pinned up and centered on his bulletin board.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Since then, Hinata really does come by with sweets often, though they’re not always with the request for criticism. Sometimes, it’s because he craved red velvet cupcakes but ended up making too many, or other times, it’s because they were just meant to be a test batch, but they ended up tasting too good so Hinata wanted to share some with him. Nonetheless, Sakusa easily found himself becoming more and more accustomed to Hinata’s presence. And then came the rare occasions where <em>he</em> came over to the ginger’s apartment instead with some homemade dinner and a couple bottles of beer.</p><p> </p><p>They talk into late hours of the night about everything and nothing- Hinata sometimes rambles on about his travelling experiences and that one time he actually cried after tasting a god-sent pastry, and Sakusa does indeed get to talk about the versatility of pasta. What started off as short-cut sentences and awkward pauses become playful bickers and teasing, which should’ve been incredibly scary to Sakusa but didn’t, because it was Hinata. There was just something so warm and so welcoming about the redhead that Sakusa couldn’t help but continue diving head-first into all of these ridiculous conversations.</p><p> </p><p>(<em>“What do you mean you don’t like iceberg lettuce??”</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Sakusa-san, it’s literally crispy water!! What am I supposed to like about it when it’s by itself?! I’m getting neither taste nor nutrition! I can just drink a glass of water and I’d probably have more to say about its taste than I would about iceberg lettuce!”</em>
</p><p> </p><p><em>“..Shit, you right.”</em>)</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, the faint scent of vanilla and citrus began to stick onto him, too, as if he had a little bit of Hinata everywhere he went. Which, at first, seems like an innocent, platonic, cute sort of observation- except, Sakusa finds himself giving Hinata looks that aren’t as innocent.</p><p> </p><p>He catches himself letting his eyes linger a bit too long on the slender slope of Hinata’s neck, or the slight lean mass of arm muscles when he’s whisking fresh cream, and sometimes, when he’s lucky, the little sliver of skin just above Hinata’s waistband that’s exposed whenever he lifts his arms up a bit too far. It was simply occasional eye candy before, but somehow, after spending so much time with the ginger, he managed to make everything about himself distracting!</p><p> </p><p>The way his cheeks and nose glowed pink in the early morning’s crisp, cold air? Distracting. How he lights up whenever Sakusa compliments him? Distracting. The way he pouts and whines whenever Sakusa adds more vegetables to his plate because he actively avoids anything not rice and meat like the plague? Distracting.</p><p> </p><p>But Sakusa refuses to acknowledge these feelings of his- there wasn’t any way he had a <em>crush</em> on his neighbor of all people. Sure, it made sense that he found Hinata attractive, he doesn’t think anyone with functioning eyes could ever disagree with him there, but what benefits would he get from <em>crushing</em> on Hinata? That’s right, None.</p><p> </p><p>All he’s gotten so far were multiple potential heart attacks, some water up his nose when Hinata whisked cream too hard and splattered it all over himself, a shit ton of heart palpitations and the longest laughing fit he’s ever experienced (which eventually led to a tummy ache). And for what? He doesn’t even know if Hinata swings that way, so what’s the point?</p><p> </p><p>Sighing, Sakusa rests his head against his office desk, once again lamenting over the fact that he actually developed feelings for someone. Not that he thinks anyone could blame him for it, but it does definitely come as a surprise considering the last time he genuinely pined after someone was in middle school when he witnessed a boy fold his used handkerchief damp side in after washing his hands. Truly a religious experience. But <em>this, </em>this was entirely different. He wasn’t admiring Hinata from afar or pining after him simply because he regularly sanitizes his kitchen. He internally coos at the sight of a bright-eyed and flour dusted Hinata, and he has an equally strong response at the sight of a soft and sleepy Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>As long as it’s Hinata, chances are, Sakusa will uselessly pine.</p><p> </p><p>And that was also where the problem was. Sakusa and Hinata being neighbors means that besides being a sous chef, Sakusa will have a side job of pining after Hinata. And the more he pines, the more obvious his feelings become to Hinata, and if Hinata ever found out about this crush of his, then Sakusa will finally have a reason to pass away.</p><p> </p><p>…But part of him still hopes that even if that happens, Hinata will somehow, someway return his feelings.</p><p> </p><p>“Ugh,” Sakusa groaned, bumping a closed fist against the side of his head, as if the longer he did it, he could eventually get his feelings to go away.</p><p> </p><p>“No goodie bag today, Omi?”</p><p> </p><p>Fuck, Sakusa forgot to lock his door. Lifting his head, he glares at Atsumu, who was by his door, sporting a curious expression on his face as he glances around Sakusa’s room, searching.</p><p> </p><p>“Didn’t anybody teach you how to knock, Miya? Fuck off.”</p><p> </p><p>“Seriously though, is everything good? No trouble in paradise?”</p><p> </p><p>Too tired to try and reason with the blonde, Sakusa resorts to tossing a capped pen at him, which does nothing to stop Atsumu from stepping further into his office.</p><p> </p><p>“Fuck <em>off,</em>” he tries and fails again when Atsumu has the audacity to sit on top of his desk.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, hey, no need to be hostile,” Atsumu starts, lifting his hands in a sign of defeat, “just genuinely curious because your girlfriend’s been sending you off with a bag of treats for the past.. what, four almost five months now?”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s not my girlfriend,” Sakusa spits back, earning a surprised look from the blonde.</p><p> </p><p>“My bad, your boyfriend then?”</p><p> </p><p>Sighing, Sakusa drags his hands down his face, too drained to come up with any proper comebacks. Leaning back against his chair, he scoots himself away enough to lift his leg over the desk and push Atsumu off from the other side before shooting him another glare.</p><p> </p><p>“Mind your own business, Miya. What about the sweets even makes you think that I’m dating someone?”</p><p> </p><p>“I dunno, Omi, pretty golden and pink ribbons and perfectly baked and arranged sweets in a bag a couple times a week doesn’t seem like something you’d do for yourself or for someone that’s just a friend,” Atsumu shrugs as he brushes off dust in the form of a shoe print from his pants, unaware of just how much faster Sakusa’s heart starts beating then, “Seems like they’re constantly confessing their love, if anything.”</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Unbeknownst to Atsumu himself, his words haunt Sakusa for the next two weeks. Every time he receives a new goodie bag, it’s like he gains an extra piece of hope that there could be something more between him and Hinata, something that’s more than neighbors and him occasionally critiquing his sweets. He eyes each intricately packaged bag, and thinks, and hopes, and then he thinks and hopes some more. And one night, in the middle of his unproductive cycle of thoughts, he finally acknowledges that <em>yes, </em>he likes Hinata a whole lot, and <em>yes, </em>he does want to date the shit out of Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>It’s quite the revelation to have, especially for someone like Sakusa, whose ability to express himself is usually on par with that of an egg. But he still manages to remind himself that this was Hinata- his neighbor who read his ramblings about cheesecake and baked him copious amounts of sweets and gave him smiles so bright, it was like staring directly into the sun. In the end, it’s still Hinata he’s pining for, which is somehow a source of motivation for Sakusa.</p><p> </p><p>Not that he was going to confess any time soon, but at least he can try to take steps towards it- meaning, the tiniest, tiniest baby steps, but better than nothing.</p><p> </p><p>The next time he comes over to Hinata’s is on a Thursday evening, and he catches the ginger off-guard. Hinata looks a bit too surprised to see Sakusa at his door with some store-bought fried chicken and more cheap beer, something that’s become a regular occurrence. But more than just being surprised, he looks almost worried.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, Sakusa-san! I didn’t expect you!”</p><p> </p><p>“I sent you a text earlier, Shou,” Sakusa huffed, raising a brow at the ginger.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, you did?! Ahhh, I didn’t see it! Uhm, uh, can you give me five minutes? Just five minutes, I forgot to clean is all!”</p><p> </p><p>Which was the only warning Sakusa got before he received a door to his face.</p><p> </p><p>Odd.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata’s never been this conscious about the cleanliness of his kitchen before. Usually, he’d invite Sakusa in even if he was in the middle of baking and his kitchen looked like a warzone. It was a little discouraging, sure, but Sakusa couldn’t find it in himself to mind it. He was still going to get to spend time with Hinata, after all. It was just a little awkward to wait outside his door, holding up a bag of fried chicken and a small box of beer, but really, what wouldn’t he do for the ginger at this point?</p><p> </p><p>When Hinata does let him in, it’s to a neat kitchen and dining table. Of course. Hinata wouldn’t let him down by showing him a disorganized workspace. It’s one of the many things Sakusa has come to appreciate about him. He’s clearly very attentive to his guests.</p><p> </p><p>“So, Sakusa-san, there’s a new fried chicken place nearby?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looks nervous. Which is odd considering Sakusa is the guest here. Narrowing his eyes at the ginger, Sakusa finds himself paying closer attention to him—just in case he’s tired, of course. Not because he’s overly worried or anything like that, God, no.</p><p> </p><p>“No, I got this from the little restaurant down the street. We’ve eaten there before, Shou.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ahhh, is that so? I’m sorry, that slipped my mind—I didn’t think about that place when I asked, haha. So, shall we eat?”</p><p> </p><p>Sakusa wonders if anyone has ever told Hinata that he’s terrible at hiding things, even more so his emotions, because it was quite clear that something wasn’t right.</p><p> </p><p>“Shouyou? Are you alright? You seem to be tired—”</p><p> </p><p>Sakusa lifts an arm to rest a hand on Hinata’s forehead, but before he could do so, the ginger gasps and flinches away from his touch, the chair letting out a loud screech as he stands up abruptly. Somehow, the sight of Hinata moving away from him hurts. He would do this to most people, but not <em>Hinata. </em>What happened that had the younger recoiling so much?</p><p> </p><p>It’s only when Hinata is scrambling to pick something up that he sees the heart-shaped paper with scribbles inside. Alarmed, Sakusa reaches out to grab Hinata’s arm, stopping him from completely hiding the pastel pink card.</p><p> </p><p>“Shouyou.. did you get confessed to? Is this what you were hiding from me?”</p><p> </p><p>Admittedly, Sakusa doesn’t want that to be the case. Why? He’s not so sure. He just knows that if Hinata had a special someone that his goodie bags would then become their goodie bags. He wouldn’t get to see Hinata’s sleep-laced smile in the early mornings anymore. And neither would he longer be of use to Hinata because of course, whoever gets with Hinata has to be someone who can give good critiques and give Hinata the best advice to get better. His heart starts to race as he begins to think <em>no, </em>he wouldn’t want someone else taking his spot in Hinata’s life.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, Sakusa-san, that hurts, could you please let go?”</p><p> </p><p>With his train of thought interrupted, Sakusa finally takes in the sight of Hinata’s harried expression. Reluctantly, he tugs his hands away, the movement jerky and awkward as he no longer knows where to put his hands.</p><p> </p><p>“So.. is it a confession?”</p><p> </p><p>Sakusa watches from underneath his curls as Hinata shakes his head, a pretty pink blush slowly making its way up his neck and onto his prettily rounded cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>“N-no.. this is for someone else. I want to confess to them, and this is the only way that I know how to.”</p><p> </p><p><em>Ah, </em>there it was. Hinata did indeed have a special someone, and it wasn’t him.</p><p> </p><p>Honestly, it was quite foolish for him to think that he stood a chance against whoever Hinata liked—loved?</p><p> </p><p>“Is it.. someone I know?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata fiddles with his fingers, his lips curling into a pleasant smile as he giggles, the sound ringing in Sakusa’s ears but somehow managing to leave a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, you could say that. I think you know him well.”</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, it’s a little hard to breathe. Sakusa abruptly stands up, ignoring the way Hinata’s expression quickly morphed into one of confusion and concern. He pushes the chicken and beer towards the center of the table, taking time to fix his jacket as a way to give him something to do. Then, he’s already moving towards the door, despite hearing Hinata’s confused calls of <em>Sakusa-san? What’s wrong?</em></p><p> </p><p>“I.. I suddenly feel a little tired. I think it’s best if I go home to rest.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, Sakusa-san, you can rest here—”</p><p> </p><p>He doesn’t wait to hear what Hinata has to say. Petty? Probably. Childish? Yeah, but it’s not like he’s ever fully experienced heartbreak to know how to deal with it. So he did what he usually does best—running away. He falls into his bed with a loud <em>thump, </em>ignoring the wails from his stomach begging for food.</p><p> </p><p>He shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up. He shouldn’t have taken Atsumu’s words to heart. He should’ve stayed away.</p><p> </p><p>Yet, even as he tires himself to the brink of sleep, he still sees Hinata’s bright grin through closed eyelids.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>The next morning is horrible. And he considers calling the day off. Which, he actually does, his boss sounding more than concerned that he was tired enough to ask for the day off when he would <em>never </em>let his coworkers handle the kitchen by themselves otherwise.  But his body his sore and his mind is even more sore, he doesn’t think he could handle being close to anybody in the kitchen in this kind of state.</p><p> </p><p>Even with last night’s incident still fresh in his mind, he still goes out to gently pry open his door just because. There was still some inkling of hope in him that Hinata would’ve left a pretty little note or a goodie bag at his door as a way to cheer him up, so when neither were there, he only felt more defeated.</p><p> </p><p>When he goes to grab a bowl, milk and the cereal that Hinata decided to leave here (“<em>That’s too sweet, Shouyou, choose something healthier.” “But, Sakusa-san, I run on sugar!”)</em> that he thinks to himself that surely, he was overreacting.</p><p> </p><p>He pours milk in after having put way, way too much cereal into his bowl, scowling when the little sugary bastards overflow and pour out onto the tabletop. <em>You didn’t let him explain, </em>he tells himself as he angrily wipes down his table. <em>Yeah, but there’s no way he would like </em>you <em>of all people—</em>he tosses the soggy napkins into the bin, taking out his frustrations on them. <em>Okay, but what if he did like you?</em></p><p> </p><p>And that was when Sakusa decided that maybe cereal wasn’t the move.</p><p> </p><p>He leaves the bowl on the kitchen counter to just <em>sog away, </em>not a single care in mind when he takes out a bell pepper, only lightly rinses it and then takes a bite out of it like it was an apple.</p><p> </p><p>“Disgusting,” he gags, slumped over on his sofa with the TV turned on to a whole lot of nothing.</p><p> </p><p>Nonetheless, he continues to eat the appl—bell pepper, the loud chewing sounds completely drowning out whatever the characters on screen were talking about. Eh, he wasn’t super invested in this show anyways.</p><p> </p><p>When he gets up to toss away the remnants of his pepper, there’s rattling outside his door. Odd, it’s still early enough that no one else should be awake (besides Hinata). And surely, his neighbors weren’t caring enough that they <em>knew </em>he was trying to recover from a “heartbreak”. Narrowing his eyes, Sakusa kicks the cabinet door closed and walks towards his front door, ready to tell off whoever was bothering him on the other side.</p><p> </p><p>Hand on the handle, he grips it to open the door but immediately freezes when he hears a muffled, but familiar voice from the other side.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Tobio, Tobio, please help me, oh my God. I can’t believe I’m doing this.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>There’s a banging sound, as if Hinata was hitting his head against the door. (Why did that sound cute to Sakusa?)</p><p> </p><p><em>“I </em>told <em>you that I was going to confess to my neighbor—right?! The sous chef at the fancy schmancy restaurant by the beach?! Yeah, him!”</em></p><p> </p><p>Sakusa’s heart stops. Did he.. did he hear that right? Not fully convinced, he presses his ear against the door to try and hear better.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“I did as you said and I wrote a letter on a heart-shaped card and I made him a goodie bag with pink and golden ribbons! But he saw the card last night—UGH, I know! I should’ve been more careful.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Unbeknownst to himself, a smile starts to bloom on Sakusa’s face.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“You know what? I dunno if I should do this anymore. I think he hates me now, after what he did last night—”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>WHAT?! No, no, please confess, Sakusa internally begged.</p><p> </p><p>He hears Hinata take a few deep breathes, the rustling sounds in the background reminding him that yes, there was indeed a goodie bag involved, but no, it wasn’t for him to taste test. In the back of his mind, he hears Atsumu’s echoes of how the person sending him sweets <em>“seems like they’re constantly confessing their love, if anything,” </em>and promptly breaks out in a sweat. He never thought there’d be a day where <em>Miya </em>was right about something that he wasn’t.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Okay, okay, I’m gonna leave the bag at his door. He’s not home, I don’t think, he’s usually at work this time around. Yeah. Yeah, I got it. I’ll keep you updated. If anything, I’ll just move in with you—”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>And that’s when Sakusa decides to intervene.</p><p> </p><p>He yanks the door open to see a completely disheveled Hinata, the two of them silent save for the comically loud <em>plop</em> the goodie bag makes when it slips off his door handle.</p><p> </p><p>They’re both clad in their pajamas, Sakusa notes. Hinata’s look incredibly soft, and he looks cute besides how his eyes were a bloodshot red. Sakusa hopes he didn’t cry.</p><p> </p><p>He watches in silence as Hinata cups a hand over his mouth and the microphone part of his phone, as if Sakusa wasn’t less than a meter in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>“I-I’ll.. I’ll talk to you later, Tobio. See you!”</p><p> </p><p>The ginger tucks away his phone at the speed of light, quickly reaching behind him to sheepishly rub the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle.</p><p> </p><p>“S-Sakusa-san! What a pleasant surprise! I didn’t expect you to be home! I hope I didn’t disturb you—”</p><p> </p><p>“Is it true?”</p><p> </p><p>“Eh?”</p><p> </p><p>The younger blinks his eyes open, glancing up at the sous chef, whose cheeks were glowing a soft pink, a stark contrast to his jet black hair. Not hearing Hinata answer, Sakusa asks again, his knuckles glowing white with how hard he was gripping his doorframe.</p><p> </p><p>“Is it true that you want to confess to me?”</p><p> </p><p>Startled, Hinata straightens up, his face immediately bursting into flames. He stutters and waves his arms around, not at all the calm and collected image Sakusa had seen before. Somehow, he doesn’t think he has a preference. After all, as long as it’s Hinata, he will pine.</p><p> </p><p>“W-well! Yes! I didn’t think you could hear my conversation, oh dear me. B-but yes, I wanted to confess to you through a goodie bag and a note because—well, it’s what’s been most comfortable for us, and honestly, I couldn’t imagine me confessing to you in person, so it was the only way! I’m sorry if this makes you uncomfortable! I didn’t mean for this to be something you knew of, but you came yesterday when I was preparing the goodie bag so you ended up seeing it anyways! Ahhh, please don’t worry, I don’t expect you to respond to me! Please toss away the note and think of this as a regular goodie bag—<em>ah!”</em></p><p> </p><p>Impatient, Sakusa grabs Hinata’s arm, yanking him forward and closing the door to pin the ginger up against it. When he has the smaller’s attention on him (cute), he leans down slowly enough to see Hinata tense up and squeeze his eyes shut just before their lips meet.</p><p> </p><p>There’s no spark, no <em>hurrah! </em>feeling. Nothing special, really—but it felt <em>right.</em></p><p> </p><p>Sakusa presses closer, and closer, and closer until he hears Hinata whimper against his lips, his tiny fists doing close to nothing to stop the distance between them from decreasing even further. Seeing this, the sous chef gently grabs his curled fists, prying them open and pulling them up to prompt Hinata to wrap his arms around his neck, which he cutely does with another breathless whimper.</p><p> </p><p>The hold Hinata has on him makes it easier for him to hoist him up by the waist and press him impossibly closer, letting Sakusa steal away Hinata’s breath once again—at least, until Hinata’s tiny fists and hitting his shoulders in a silent plea to let go.</p><p> </p><p>“What,” the ginger pants, looking absolutely delectable with his glossy eyes and spit slick lips. “What was that, Sakusa-san?!”</p><p> </p><p>“I like you, too,” he answers easily, quickly. Looking this closely, Sakusa sees tiny freckles splattered across Hinata’s face like little stars. They glow against the pale pink of his cheeks, making him look like the pretty sky at dawn. <em>I love you, </em>Sakusa echoes in his head, finding that the word ‘like’ just couldn’t describe his affection towards Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>“Also, you were talking too much and I needed a way to shut you up.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata looks baffled by this. What portion of Sakusa’s response actually put that expression on his face? He’ll never know (but he hopes it’s a good mix between both of them).</p><p> </p><p>“You.. you like me, too? Really?”</p><p> </p><p>“Shouyou.”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata stiffens in his hold at the call of his given name, making Sakusa even more enamored.</p><p> </p><p>“Do I look like the type of person to like eating sweets?”</p><p> </p><p>Sakusa waits for the tiny, reluctant shake of Hinata’s head to continue.</p><p> </p><p>“Do I look like someone who would go out of their way to write paragraphs among paragraphs of criticism for my <em>neighbor</em>, the one who <em>disturbed me</em> at ass o’clock on the day they moved in?”</p><p> </p><p>Hinata pouts, but still shakes his head in agreement.</p><p> </p><p>“And do I look like someone who would kiss someone else as a joke?”</p><p> </p><p>Sakusa raises a brow, slightly offended, when Hinata hesitates for much longer than he expected. So he presses against the ginger, making him let out an undignified yelp at the contact.</p><p> </p><p>“In <em>this </em>position?”</p><p> </p><p>Hands now fully covering his face, Hinata shakes his head once again, reddened ears peeking past through what his hands couldn’t cover.</p><p> </p><p>Sakusa gently lets him down, once again finding himself prying Hinata’s hands away from his face in favor of pressing his forehead against the ginger’s. It’s more than reassuring to see how comfortably Hinata melts against him, and he watches as his eyes flutter shut, but he still feels the need to reassure him even more—so he holds on tightly to Hinata’s hands, giving them a firm, warm squeeze.</p><p> </p><p>“Look, I don’t know if I’m just terrible at showing it or if you might just be horribly oblivious, but I feel like I’ve been quite obvious with my pining.”</p><p> </p><p>“Have you really? Don’t you think you’re even more oblivious than I am, Sakusa-san?”</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean?” he squints, scowling playfully.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know if you just never noticed, but whenever I gave you your goodie bags, I made sure you could catch a glimpse of the other ones I had in my bag.”</p><p> </p><p>Sakusa looks absolutely puzzled, so Hinata continues, nuzzling the tips of their noses together.</p><p> </p><p>“You really never noticed how only <em>your </em>bags were severely decorated with cute bags and ribbons? All the other bags were in clear bags with a white bow.”</p><p> </p><p>And suddenly Sakusa feels dumb. And Hinata sees that Sakusa feels like he’s dumb. And Sakusa knows that Hinata knows, so he leans in to kiss the teasing smirk right off the ginger’s lips, the giggle that the smaller lets out making his own lips twitch up into the tiniest, content smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Shut it, you brat.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh, you wanna kiss me so bad, don’t you, Sakusa-san,” Hinata giggles.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re on thin fucking ice.”</p><p> </p><p>Despite himself, he still leans in to steal kisses from Hinata, the soft expanse of the ginger’s lips becoming more and more addicting with each kiss. And with him letting out the sweetest, absolutely sinful sounds, there wasn’t any way that Sakusa couldn’t be infatuated with him.</p><p> </p><p>“Come to bed with me?” Sakusa asks, his tone hopeful.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, could we—”</p><p> </p><p>“Grab condoms and lube? Go shower together? Sit on the couch and make out—”</p><p> </p><p>“I was gonna say, could we grab your goodie bag from outside, please? I don’t want it getting smooshed.”</p><p> </p><p>Sakusa’s expression morphs into one of disbelief as he gently maneuvers Hinata to one side to get the bag. But when he leans down to grab it, a small hand slaps at his butt, making him grunt and stiffen up. Frowning, he turns around to see a very pleased and very amused Hinata.</p><p> </p><p>“Fuck you,” he hisses.</p><p> </p><p>“I sure hope you do, Sakusa-san.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Sakusa hangs up Hinata’s letter on his fridge later that night.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>A few months later, when Hinata finally agrees to move in with him, Sakusa will choose to ignore the two college students and their landlord staring at them from afar, the two college students crying and handing over money while their landlord let out a hearty chuckle and collected said money. God damn landlord. But Sakusa supposes that if the landlord didn't tell Sakusa about Hinata that they might not be where they are right now.</p><p> </p><p>So together, they pick the nicest looking convenient store bag of candy to gift the landlord for Christmas that year (which is mixed in with the candies she gave Sakusa months ago, but she doesn't have to know).</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you for reading, i love you uwu &lt;3</p><p>  <a href="https://twitter.com/h2owo2?s=09"> twt!!</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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